In a statement today, Deputy Bríd Smith of People Before Profit, expressed alarm at the lodging of an application to An Bord Pleanála by AECOM Infrastructure & Environment Ireland to build a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal in the Shannon Estuary.
Deputy Bríd Smith said:
“It would be alarming if this LNG terminal is given permission to go ahead it and it will fly in the face of Government policy which states that: ‘Pending the outcome of the review of security of energy supply of Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems to be carried out by the DECC, it would not be appropriate for the development of any LNG terminals in Ireland to be permitted.’
“And given recent catastrophic climate events across the globe it would be wholly inappropriate for the Government and in particular the Green Party Minister, Eamon Ryan, to stand over the introduction of LNG terminals into this country.”
People Before Profit have already put a bill before the Dáil that would change the Planning legislation to ban both LNG terminals and Data Centres and to remove them from the list of Strategic Infrastructure developments.
Deputy Smith is now calling on Minister Ryan to table such a bill from Government immediately in his role as Minister for Climate Action and Minister for Energy.
Bríd Smith TD said that: “It is now clear that previous statements on Government policy being opposed to LNG’s has no legal standing to stop such private developments and we need clear laws to ban them from developing here if we are serious about reaching our emissions reduction targets”
“This is a real test for the Green Party in Government and the entire climate movement is watching what the Minister and his colleagues in Government will do to stop the importation of LNG’s, including fracked gas and to prevent the development of terminals in the Shannon Estuary and elsewhere.”
